Footprints lead to three suspects in Newport theft

NEWPORT, Maine — Footprints in the snow leading away from a crime scene led to the capture of three juveniles who police say burglarized the Newport Redemption Center over the weekend.

Newport police Detective Randy Wing said the three boys, who ranged in age from 12 to 15, were each charged with burglary and theft Saturday after Wing tracked them through downtown Newport neighborhoods to a home where one of the boys lived.

The redemption center, which is located on Main Street, reported Saturday morning that it had been burglarized. Wing said evidence showed that the suspects crawled under a fence and forced open an overhead door to gain access to the building.

Wing was able to identify the suspects’ footwear by examining their tracks in the snow, which led him to a home about three blocks away. When confronted, the boys allegedly admitted to the crime, and Wing said he recovered approximately $550 in cigarettes and other smoking supplies that had been stolen from the redemption center.

Story continues below advertisement.

Two of the boys, ages 12 and 15, are brothers who live in Palmyra, said Wing. The third boy, a 13-year-old from Newport, is related to the other two. Wing said all three boys, who moved to the Newport area recently, were released to their parents.

Because of the value of the stolen goods, the theft charge was elevated from a Class E to a Class D crime. Wing said he also recovered a written “burglary plan” drawn up by the boys that included a floor plan of the redemption center and strategies for breaking into it.